The invention relates to dispensers for the optionally atomized discharge of an in particular liquid medium from a container.
Such a dispenser is e.g. known from EP 334 349 A1, in which the medium is discharged by the manual operation of an operating member. The operation is subdivided into a sequence of partial operations and during each partial operation a clearly defined partial charge of the medium is discharged. In order to prevent that two successive partial operations are performed in uninterrupted succession, it is known from the aforementioned document that a changeover operation is required between two partial operations of the operating member.
Such dispensers are in particular used if a medicament or a vaccine is to be applied to the nasal mucosa of a patient. An atomized discharge of the medium has the advantage that the active ingredient is more easily absorbed by the patient. One example in which the dispenser is also suitable for use by the patient consists of anti-migraine agents to be applied to the nasal mucosa.
The medium must conventionally be discharged in two and optionally a small number of partial charges having a clearly defined and usually identical size from the dispenser. In the interest of maximum use reliability it is proposed that the operating path of the operating member is deliberately interrupted, to ensure that in a continuous operation of the operating member no more than one partial charge is discharged at once as a result of an oversight.
To ensure this a changeover operation is necessary between the partial operations of the operating member.
However, the performance of such a changeover operation requires a setting down of the dispenser from the application point and is prejudicial to a one-handed operation of the dispenser.
However, such a one-handed operation of such a dispenser is particularly desirable if the user needs the second hand for fixing the discharge point, e.g. for fixing the head of a patient, particularly a child and which is consequently unavailable for dispenser operation. A setting down of the dispenser and a release of the fixing of the application point for performing the changeover operation and a subsequent refixing of the application point and a reattachment of the dispenser would be very cumbersome.
Thus, the problem of the invention is to so further develop such a dispenser that a one-handed operation is possible, where it is ensured that a discharge of more than one partial charge in a single operation is reliably prevented.
In the case of a dispenser of the aforementioned type, this problem is solved by the characterizing features of claim 1 of the present invention. In the case of a dispenser according to the invention for the optionally atomized discharge of an in particular liquid medium from a container, dispenser operation takes place in a sequence of manual partial operations of an operating member. During each of the partial operations of the operating member a clearly defined partial charge is discharged from the dispenser. A changeover or reversing operation takes place between two partial operations of the operating member. This changeover operation takes place automatically following the performance of a partial operation.
According to advantageous developments of the invention for the performance of the changeover operation force reservoirs or accumulators are provided, which are pretensioned during the performance of a partial operation. These force reservoirs can be simultaneously used to ensure that the operating member is returned from an operating end position reached when a partial operation has been completely performed into the operating starting position and the following partial operation can be performed from the operating starting position. It is particularly advantageous to perform the changeover operation when the end of the partial operation is established in that the operating force necessary for performing the partial operation no longer acts on the operating member.
According to a development of the invention the force reservoir can be constituted by springs, particularly spiral springs.
According to further developments of the invention the container is placed in a casing and between the casing and the operating member a relative movement takes place during each partial operation, said relative movement being fixed by a connecting link guide. Connecting link guidance in particular takes place through a connecting link path in which a sliding block is guided. According to a preferred embodiment between the casing and the container is provided a sleeve, which is either stable to the casing or the container with respect to a partial operation of the operating member, but is relatively movable in the direction of the changeover operation. The sleeve either has the connecting link path or the sliding block guided in said path. Further preferred developments of the connecting link guide are given in the further subclaims, which in particular relate to the design of the connecting link path and the construction of the force reservoirs on said path.